KR102393981B1 - Diode laser module for heat treatment equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a diode laser module for thermal treatment equipment used for processing a material such as metal or the like. The diode laser module for thermal treatment equipment is provided as a pair of diode laser stacks of a structure in which a plurality of micro channel cooled packages (MCCP) are stacked, and the pair of diode laser stacks are placed in parallel to have a predetermined inclination angle (Θ) toward a common image formation part, wherein each of the pair of stacks independently includes an optical unit set including a slow axis collimator (SAC) and a fast axis collimator (FAC) for beam control in slow axis and fast axis directions. Optionally, each of the pair of stacks also includes a switching means including a plurality of optical unit sets having different standards, and switching the optical unit sets having different standards depending on use environments.

Description

Diode laser module for heat treatment equipment {DIODE LASER MODULE FOR HEAT TREATMENT EQUIPMENT}

The present invention relates to a diode laser module for a heat treatment device used for processing a material such as metal.

As a light source for heat treatment of materials such as metal, a diode laser is a device that directly converts electrical energy into laser light, and a diode laser bar in the form of a linear bar consists of several individual emitters on a single monolithic substrate.

As a diode laser module for a conventional heat treatment device, a diode laser bar is mounted on a plate including a cooling channel to constitute an MCCP (Micro Channel Cooled Package), and a stack in which these MCCPs are compactly stacked in a line is used. .

On the other hand, in the case of a single MCCP, it has an output of 50 ~ 200w, and the output of a single diode laser stack depends on the size and number of these single MCCPs. In the field, higher stack output is required depending on the usage environment related to heat treatment. There is a situation.

As a general method for increasing the output of a conventional diode laser module, a method of increasing the number of MCCPs in a single stack or configuring a plurality of stacks to extend in a horizontal or vertical direction has been attempted. However, as the light exit surface for a single module increases, the lens design for optically controlling the laser divergence angle is complicated, and when the stack itself is configured to extend in the horizontal or vertical direction, the material surface due to the existence of the boundary and dead area between the stacks There is a problem in that the image formed on the surface becomes non-uniform.

The size of the collimator for controlling the laser divergence angle for a single stack needs to be changed depending on the work piece to be heat treated or the usage environment. There is also a problem that the overall efficiency of the device decreases.

The main object of the present invention, devised in consideration of the various problems of the prior art, is to provide a diode laser module for a heat treatment device having high output and uniform imaging quality even when a general single diode laser stack is used. Another object of the present invention is to provide a diode laser module for a heat treatment device capable of easily switching a necessary collimator according to a usage environment.

The gist of the present invention related to the above-mentioned problem is the same as described in the claims as follows.

A diode laser module for a heat treatment apparatus according to the present invention is provided with a pair of diode laser stacks having a structure in which a plurality of MCCP (Micro Channel Cooled Packages) are stacked, and the pair of diode laser stacks have a constant inclination angle toward a common imaging part. A set of optical units including a SAC (Slow Axis Collimator) and a FAC (Fast Axis Collimator) for beam control in the Slow Axis and Fast Axis directions, each of which is arranged in parallel to have a degree (θ), independently It is characterized in that it is provided.

In this case, the inclination angle θ is preferably 2 to 20°.

In addition, the pair of stacks may be arranged symmetrically to each other so as to have the same beam irradiation angle with respect to the vertical central axis (C) of the imaging unit.

Optionally, each of the pair of stacks may include a plurality of sets of optical units having different standards, and may further include a switching mechanism for switching optical unit sets of different standards according to usage environments.

In this case, the switching mechanism may be driven by a cylinder or a servo motor.

According to the diode laser module for a heat treatment apparatus of the present invention, a pair of single diode laser stacks are arranged at a predetermined inclination angle to form an overlapping image, thereby forming a uniform image with high power to improve the heat treatment processing quality.

In addition, since the module adopts a switching mechanism equipped with lens sets of different standards as part of the module, it is possible to increase the efficiency of the device by easily switching the necessary lens sets according to the usage environment.

1 is a block diagram of a diode laser module for a heat treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 and 3 are block diagrams of a diode laser module for a heat treatment apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail through examples. Prior to this, the terms or words used in the present specification and claims should not be construed as being limited to conventional or dictionary meanings, and the inventor should properly understand the concept of the term in order to best describe his invention. Based on the principle that can be defined, it should be interpreted as meaning and concept consistent with the technical idea of the present invention. Accordingly, since the configuration of the embodiments described in this specification is only one of the most preferred embodiments of the present invention and does not represent all the technical spirit of the present invention, various equivalents that can be substituted for them at the time of filing of the present invention It should be understood that there may be variations and variations. On the other hand, in the drawings, the same or similar reference numbers are given to the same or equivalents, and in the entire specification, when it is said that a part "includes" a certain component, it is a different component unless specifically stated to the contrary. It does not exclude, but means that other components may be further included.

1 shows a configuration diagram of a diode laser module 10 (hereinafter, abbreviated as 'module 10') for a heat treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 1 (a) is a side view of a pair of stacks 110 and 120 arranged in parallel, and Fig. 1 (b) is a view in which a pair of stacks 110 and 120 are arranged in series, respectively. indicates. In FIG. 1B , one stack 120 is covered by the other stack 110 .

The module 10 is composed of a pair of diode laser stacks 110 and 120 (hereinafter referred to as a 'stack'). Each of the stacks 110 and 120 has a structure in which MCCP (Micro Channel Cooled Package) formed by mounting a diode laser bar on a plate including a cooling channel is stacked. may have

Each of the stacks 110 and 120 includes an independent light control element. Based on each of the stacks 110 and 120, the individual diode laser devices constituting the MCCP of each of the stacks 110 and 120 have different laser divergence angles in the vertical, left and right directions due to the limitations of production techniques. Therefore, in order to utilize each of the stacks 110 and 120 in which the diode laser is stacked as a light source for heat treatment, the laser divergence angle is a small axis (Slow Axis; X) and a large axis (Fast Axis; Y) direction of the beam shape. A cylindrical collimator should be provided to control the

In this case, each collimator sequentially disposed on the emission surface side of the stacks 110 and 120 may include SACs 112S and 122S (Slow Axis Collimators) and FACs 112F and 122F (Fast Axis Collimators). Accordingly, each stack 110 , 120 includes an independent set of optical units 112 , 122 , one stack 110 includes a set of SAC 112S and FAC 112F, and the other stack 120 includes a set of SAC 112S and FAC 112F. ) has another set of SACs 122S and FACs 122F.

In the present invention, the module 10 is composed of a pair of stacks 110 and 120, while the pair of stacks 110 and 120 have a constant inclination angle θ toward the common imaging part A. It is characterized in that the output is improved by being arranged in parallel to converge. That is, the laser beam irradiated from each stack 110, 120 is controlled by the respective SACs 112S, 122S and FACs 112F, 122F, and then overlaps in the common imaging part A, so that the imaging part ( The overall intensity of the irradiated beam in A) is increased.

A pair of stacks 110 and 120 arranged in parallel in the module 10 has a predetermined 'angle of inclination (θ)' toward the common imaging part A, in this case the pair of stacks 110 and 120 ), the inclination angle (θ) is preferably controlled in the range of 2 to 22˚.

Specifically, as the inclination angle θ between the pair of stacks 110 and 120 is smaller, it may be advantageous in terms of uniformity of imaging. In order to avoid interference, the distance from the exit surfaces of the stacks 110 and 120 to the imaging unit A must be long, so the output increase effect or output quality due to overlap in the imaging unit A may be relatively poor. not.

Conversely, as the inclination angle θ between the pair of stacks 110 and 120 increases, the interference problem between the stacks 110 and 120 is alleviated and the distance to the image forming unit A is shortened, thereby increasing the output increase effect due to overlapping. However, if it is excessively large by more than 20˚, the pair of stacks 110 and 120 based on the direction in which the pair of stacks 110 and 120 are arranged in parallel (ie, the vertical direction in FIG. 1A ). The space occupied by the device and the volume of the device must be increased, and the imaging profile by each of the stacks 110 and 120 in the corresponding direction becomes non-uniform, so that the imaging uniformity may be deteriorated, which is undesirable.

On the other hand, the pair of stacks 110 and 120 are arranged with an inclination angle θ within the above range and at the same time have the same beam irradiation angle with respect to the vertical central axis C for the imaging unit A. It is preferable to arrange symmetrically. Accordingly, the imaging profile may be more uniform in the direction in which the pair of stacks 110 and 120 are arranged in parallel.

2 and 3 show a configuration diagram of a module 10 according to another embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 shows a layout in a state in which lens set 1 is adopted, and FIG. 3 is in a state in which lens set 2 is adopted. Each layout is indicated. As in FIG. 1, in FIGS. 2 and 3, (a) is a lateral direction of a pair of stacks 110 and 120 arranged in parallel, that is, in the Slow Axis "X" direction, (b) is a pair of stacks 110 , 120) is shown in the series arrangement direction, that is, the Fast Axis "Y" direction, respectively, and in (b) of each figure, any one of the stacks 110 is dependent on the SAC (112S, 112S') and the FAC (112F). , 112F' is obscured by the remaining stack 120 and its dependent SACs 122S, 122S' and FACs 122F, 122F'.

2 and 3, each of the pair of stacks 110 and 120 is intended to include a plurality of optical unit sets 112, 112'; 122, 122' of different standards. That is, one stack 110 has two sets of optical units 112 and 112', that is, two sets of SACs 112S, 112S' and FACs 112F, 112F', and the other stack 120 has Another two sets of optical units 122, 122', ie, another two sets of SACs 122S, 122S' and FACs 122F, 122F'.

In the case of the embodiment of Figs. 2 and 3, the switching mechanism 140 for switching the two optical unit sets 112, 112'; 122, 122' to be doubled in each stack 110, 120 according to the usage environment. It is characterized in that it further comprises. That is, replacement or change is required with another optical unit set 112'; 122' instead of the currently used optical unit set 112; Even in this case, the optical unit set 112 ′; 122 ′ and the switching mechanism 140 prepared in advance according to the predetermined design standard are configured as a part of the entire module 10 and at the same time, the switching mechanism 140 is used. By allowing the two optical unit sets 112, 112'; 122, 122' for each stack 110, 120 to be interchangeable, the optical unit sets 112, 112'; 122, 122') can be prevented from having to be manually replaced individually, and thus the efficiency of the device is reduced.

In this case, the switching mechanism 140 may be implemented in various ways, for example, a frame element on which each optical unit set (112, 112'; 122, 122') is mounted; a rail element on which the corresponding frame element is guided; and a drive element for guiding the frame element along the rail element. In FIG. 3 , the frame element and the rail element are omitted for convenience, and in the case of the driving element of the switching mechanism indicated by the identifier 140, it may be implemented as a typical driving-related design element, for example, a cylinder or a servo motor. However, in the present invention, the switching mechanism 140 or the driving element is not limited to such a cylinder or a servo motor.

As described above, according to the diode laser module 10 for a heat treatment apparatus of the present invention, a pair of single diode laser stacks 110 and 120 are arranged at a predetermined inclination angle (θ) to form an overlapping image to form a high-power, uniform It is possible to improve the heat treatment processing quality by forming an image. In addition, the module 10 adopts a switching mechanism 140 equipped with optical unit sets 112, 112'; 122, 122' of different standards as a part of the module 10, so that the optical unit set required according to the usage environment can be easily switched to increase the efficiency of the device.

The above description relates to specific embodiments of the present invention. As described above, the embodiments according to the present invention are disclosed for the purpose of explanation and are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention, and those of ordinary skill in the art will not depart from the essence of the present invention. It should be understood that various changes and modifications are possible, and all such modifications and changes can be understood to correspond to the scope of the invention disclosed in the claims or equivalents thereof.

10: diode laser module for heat treatment device
110, 120: diode laser stack
112, 112', 122, 122': optical unit set
112s, 112s', 122s, 122s': SAC
112f, 112f', 122f, 122f': FAC
140: switching mechanism
A: imaging part
X: Slow Axis
Y: Fast Axis
C: vertical central axis

Claims (5)

A diode laser stack having a structure in which a plurality of MCCP (Micro Channel Cooled Package) are stacked is provided as a pair, and the pair of diode laser stacks are arranged in parallel to have a constant inclination angle θ toward a common imaging part, Each of the stacks of the pair is independently provided with a set of optical units including SAC (Slow Axis Collimator) and FAC (Fast Axis Collimator) for beam control in Slow Axis and Fast Axis directions, and each of the pair of stacks is different from each other. A diode laser module for a heat treatment device, comprising a plurality of optical unit sets of a standard, and further comprising a switching mechanism for switching lens sets of different standards according to a use environment.
The diode laser module of claim 1, wherein the inclination angle (θ) is 2 to 20°.
The diode laser module for a heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pair of stacks are arranged symmetrically to each other so as to have the same beam irradiation angle with respect to a vertical central axis (C) for the imaging part.
delete The diode laser module according to claim 1, wherein the switching mechanism is driven by a cylinder or a servo motor.

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